Barbra Streisand leads tributes to TV legend who was ‘intregral’ to her career | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV
Entertainment icon Barbra Streisand has paid heartfelt tribute to Emmy-winning producer Gary Smith, who died in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 19, at the age of 90. A publicist confirmed the news. The legendary star took to her social media just days later, on July 23, to share her memories.
Posting a picture of the two of them working together, she wrote: “The first time I met Gary Smith was in 1963 when I appeared on the Judy Garland Show. He had just become the series producer. Then in 1971, he and his directing partner Dwight Hemion produced a Burt Bacharach television special that I sang with Burt on,” she recalled. “Together with his wife Maxine, we soon became fast friends, creative colleagues and travelling companions. Gary was a pioneering TV producer who played an integral role in my subsequent TV specials, including one of my personal favorites, ‘Barbra Streisand… and other musical instruments’. He always brought an infectious spirit to his work and made the long hours fun. RIP xo B.”
Throughout his career, Gary worked with many legendary artists, including producing the first television specials for Paul McCartney and Bette Midler and the final television performances of Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby.
He produced specials for other icons, including Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett, Dolly Parton, and Sammy Davis Jr.
He began his producing career working on The Judy Garland Show in 1963, which is where he met Barbra when she appeared and duetted with the Wizard of Oz star on a mash-up of Get Happy and Happy Days Are Here Again.
Following that, he produced the variety series Hullabaloo, which showcased early performances from The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel and Sonny & Cher.
Away from his TV work, Gary was also in demand as a live event producer and was responsible for spectacular occasions such as the opening of EPCOT at Disney World, the 25th Anniversary of Disneyland, the 1986 celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s restoration, four Democratic National Conventions, the Inaugural Galas of Presidents Reagan and Clinton, and the Bicentennial of the Constitution.
Gary earned eight Primetime Emmy Awards for his individual work in his career and was nominated for more than 30.
His company, Smith-Hemion, which he began in the early 1960s with director Dwight Hemion, earned a groundbreaking 24 Emmys.
He is survived by his wife, Maxine, his sons, Jake, Zack, Doug and Sam, a daughter, Daisy, and his five grandchildren, Spencer, Jasper, Sienna, Ryan and Charlotte.
